Launched in 1998 in Harris County as a pilot program, STAR+PLUS combines health and long-term services to elderly people with disabilities, enabling them to achieve improved health and wellness access, quality and outcomes at home or in assisted living facilities.

The move to expand the program will enable easier and better access to health care services for Medicaid recipients while saving the state government millions in health care costs, said Diane Schimmelbusch, Executive Director of Evercare Texas.

"Everyday activities that we take for granted are potentially insurmountable challenges for the members we serve," Schimmelbusch said. "Caring for people with disabilities or elderly individuals holistically means making sure they get to their medical appointments, that they have food in their homes, and that they are in constant communication with us to make sure their personalized care plans are working as intended."

Evercare, a division of UnitedHealth Group, is just one of three STAR+PLUS providers that will offer the program in the 22 additional counties.

Providing personalized service coordination, including holistic care, food delivery, transportation and health monitoring, Evercare's STAR+PLUS program and others in the state will help advocate greater health in individuals using the plans, said Troy T. Carter, president of the Adult Day Care Association of Texas.

"By focusing on people and their practical, human needs as persons with disabilities or aging chronically ill patients with low-income, I have seen STAR+PLUS plans dramatically improve the health conditions of patients and restore their dignity as people," said Carter.

Since the program began in 1998, STAR+PLUS has helped reduce hospitalizations by 22 percent, and emergency room visits by 38 percent for members on the plan.

Additionally, Schimmelbusch said Evercare also helped the state government save $123 million in Harris County over two years, based on a report by Texas A&M University in 2002.

Evercare has operated in Texas since 1998 as part of the Medicaid-funded Texas STAR+PLUS program, and already serves more than 33,000 individuals in Harris County.

Enrollment for eligible Medicaid recipients across these new service areas will begin in the fall, and these new services will be effective on January 1, 2007.

Medicaid eligible adults will have the opportunity to enroll in STAR+PLUS plans beginning November for coverage beginning in January 1, 2007.